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Bilateral mediastinal cysts with müllerian differentiation Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Nuria Domedel Puig, Marta Cufí Quintana, Vanessa Escobedo Rodriguez, Manuela Iglesias Sentís, Miguel Gallego
A chest X-ray was ordered in a 40-year-old woman due to an acute cough, showing an enlarged mediastinal silhouette (figure 1A). A physical examination showed a body mass index of 26 kg/m2. She reported prior use of hormonal contraception. CT scanning led to the detection of two posterior mediastinal, paravertebral and cystic images (figure 1B): a right, 28-mm-wide cyst at T5–T6 and a left, 24-mm-wide
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Blood eosinophils and lung function loss: from passive prediction to active prevention? Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Sanjay Ramakrishnan, Brett Montgomery, Ian D. Pavord
Extract The blood eosinophil count has more than lived up to its potential as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in the 10 years since it earned the accolade of being biomarker of the year [1]. It is now clear that in patients already diagnosed with asthma and COPD, the blood eosinophil count predicts exacerbation frequency [2, 3], response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) [4, 5], the acute response
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Lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: environmental exposures are the key Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Lucile Sesé, Isabella Annesi-Maesano
Extract Lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide [1]. In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the incidence of lung cancer is elevated, and its prognosis is worse compared to that in the general population [2]. The estimated incidence rate ratio (IRR) of developing lung cancer in IPF is around 6.42 (95% CI 3.21–9.62) [3] and increases over time from
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Understanding evidence from randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses: a comparative overview Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Mario Cazzola, Daiana Stolz, Mona Bafadhel, Paola Rogliani
Extract Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) offer evidence-based direction for decision-making in specific clinical contexts [1]. Adhering to rigorous methodological standards ensures CPGs draw from the best evidence to benefit patients [2, 3].
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Short oral treatment regimens for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis are safe and effective for young children: results from a field-based, non-randomised clinical trial from Kandahar, Afghanistan Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Anita Mesic, Ine Decuyper, Sadiqqullah Ishaq, Taiba Azizi, Fazal Hadi Ziamal, Shirbaz Amiri, Kees Keus, Moe Thandar Pyae, Khan Mohammed Mangal, Hashim Khan Amirzada, Assadullah Rasooli, Mohammad Reza Aloudal, Mohammad Zaher Daldar, Tom Decroo
Extract Clinical trials evaluating 9-month/7-drug and 6-month/4-drug all-oral treatment regimens for rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis (TB) showed that these are at least as effective and safer than previously used longer and injectable-containing regimens [1–4]. These findings have directly informed World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the treatment of adults with RR-TB, including those
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Lung function trajectories in South African children with pulmonary tuberculosis compared to those with non-TB lower respiratory tract infection: a prospective study Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Diane M. Gray, Leah Githinji, Kirsty Brittain, Zoe Franckling-Smith, Lindy Bateman, Margaretha Prins, Cynthia B. Baard, David McFarlane, Mark P. Nicol, Lesley Workman, Heather J. Zar
Extract Paediatric pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) contributes substantially to child illness globally [1]. Advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved survival [2], but the long-term impact is a concern [3, 4]. Childhood PTB has been associated with chronic radiological changes, respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function, with impaired lung volumes common after TB treatment completion [5–7]
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Percutaneous atrial septal defect closure in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Estibaliz Valdeolmillos, Claire Foray, Gregoire Albenque, Clément Batteux, Jerome Petit, Florence Lecerf, Xavier Jaïs, Olivier Sitbon, David Montani, Laurent Savale, Marc Humbert, Sébastien Hascoët
Extract Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a dreaded, although rare, complication of uncorrected atrial septal defect (ASD), one of the most common congenital heart diseases [1]. Most patients with ASD undergo early transcatheter closure, which is the reference standard treatment of ASD and prevents PAH development. The optimal management of patients with ASD and PAH is controversial [2, 3].
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Association between high levels of nitrogen dioxide and increased cumulative incidence of lung cancer in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Hee-Young Yoon, Sun-Young Kim, Jin Woo Song
Extract Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown causes characterised by a histopathological or radiological pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia [1]. Although the exact pathogenesis of IPF is not clearly elucidated, repeated lung injuries caused by viral infection, cigarette smoking or environmental/occupational exposures may induce
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The association of blood eosinophil counts and FEV1 decline: a cohort study Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-30 Yun Soo Hong, Hye Yun Park, Seungho Ryu, Sun Hye Shin, Di Zhao, Dave Singh, Eliseo Guallar, Juhee Cho, Yoosoo Chang, Seong Yong Lim
Background Accelerated lung function decline is characteristic of COPD. However, the association between blood eosinophil counts and lung function decline, accounting for current smoking status, in young individuals without prevalent lung disease is not fully understood. Methods This is a cohort study of 629 784 Korean adults without COPD or a history of asthma at baseline who participated in health
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As needed ICS/formoterol: not all of Europe is equal Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-28 Andrew Bush, Winifried Randerath, Nicolas Roche
Extract Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have revolutionised the treatment of those diseases characterised by eosinophilic airway inflammation, in particular asthma, but also eosinophilic phenotypes of COPD and bronchiectasis. These diseases affect large numbers of children and adults. However, persuading many patients to inhale ICS twice daily in an efficient manner has proved challenging. Typically
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Type 2 airway inflammation in COPD Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-28 Francesca Polverino, Don D. Sin
Globally, nearly 400 million persons have COPD, and COPD is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation and mortality across the world. While it has been long-recognised that COPD is an inflammatory lung disease, dissimilar to asthma, type 2 inflammation was thought to play a minor role. However, recent studies suggest that in approximately one third of patients with COPD, type 2 inflammation may
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Joint ERS/EACTS/ESTS clinical practice guidelines on adults with spontaneous pneumothorax Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-28 Steven Walker, Robert Hallifax, Sara Ricciardi, Deirdre Fitzgerald, Marlies Keijzers, Olivia Lauk, Jesper Petersen, Luca Bertolaccini, Uffe Bodtger, Amelia Clive, Stefano Elia, Marios Froudarakis, Julius Janssen, Y.C. Gary Lee, Peter Licht, Gilbert Massard, Blin Nagavci, Jens Neudecker, Eric Roessner, Paul Van Schil, David Waller, Thorsten Walles, Giuseppe Cardillo, Nick Maskell, Najib Rahman
Background The optimal management for spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) remains contentious, with various proposed approaches. This joint clinical practice guideline from the ERS, EACTS and ESTS societies provides evidence-based recommendations for the management of SP. Methods This multidisciplinary Task Force addressed 12 key clinical questions on the management of pneumothorax, using ERS methodology
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ERJ Podcast May 2024: Spontaneous pneumothorax Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-28 European Respiratory Society
As part of the May issue, the European Respiratory Journal presents the latest in its series of podcasts. Chief Editor James Chalmers interviews Steven Walker (Academic Respiratory Unit, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK) about the joint European Respiratory Society/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery/European Society of Thoracic Surgeons clinical practice guidelines on adults with spontaneous
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Reinforcing the benefits of children’s physical activity on lung health Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-23 Gang Wang, Erik Melén
Lung development starts already in utero whereas lung function development can be conceived to begin shortly after birth, marked by the infant’s first cry. This development progresses through adolescence until reaching its peak during early adulthood (typically between 20 and 25 years of age). However, a notable portion of the general population (4%–12%) experiences suboptimal lung development, failing
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Risk of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other interstitial lung diseases following organic dust exposure Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-22 Inge Brosbøl Iversen, Jesper Medom Vestergaard, Ioannis Basinas, Johan Ohlander, Susan Peters, Elisabeth Bendstrup, Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde, Vivi Schlünssen, Finn Rasmussen, Zara Ann Stokholm, Michael Brun Andersen, Hans Kromhout, Henrik Albert Kolstad
Background Organic dust is associated with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and associations with other types of interstitial lung disease (ILD) have been suggested. We examined the association between occupational organic dust exposure and hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other ILDs in a cohort study. Methods The study population included all residents of Denmark born in 1956 or later with at least 1
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Survival outcomes following urgent lung transplantation in France and the USA Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-20 Arnaud Roussel, Edouard Sage, Pierre-Emmanuel Falcoz, Pascal Alexandre Thomas, Yves Castier, Elie Fadel, Françoise Le Pimpec-Barthes, François Tronc, Jacques Jougon, Philippe Lacoste, Johanna Claustre, Laurent Brouchet, Richard Dorent, Edward Cantu, Michael Harhay, Raphaël Porcher, Pierre Mordant
Introduction Lung graft allocation can be based on a score (Lung Allocation Score) as in the USA or sequential proposals combined with a discrete priority model as in France. We aimed to analyse the impact of allocation policy on the outcome of urgent lung transplantation (LT). Methods US United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and French Cristal databases were retrospectively reviewed to analyse LT
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Incidence, prevalence and mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in England from 2008 to 2018: a cohort study Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-20 Rikisha Gupta, Ann Dorothy Morgan, Peter M George, Jennifer K Quint
Background Owing to discrepancies in methodologies and how idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is diagnosed it is challenging to establish a consistent understanding of the disease burden In the UK, over 10 years ago, the incidence and prevalence of IPF were reported as 2.8–8.7 per 100 000 person-years (from 2000 to 2012) and 39 per 100 000 persons (in 2012), respectively. Here, we estimated the incidence
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Unravelling the neutrophil enigma: a new insight into RSV-induced bronchiolitis in infants Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Frances Susanna Grudzinska, Aaron Scott
In this issue of Thorax , Robinson et al describe a novel in vitro model of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection to assess neonatal and adult neutrophil responses.1 The focus was on observing neutrophil migration across RSV-infected differentiated human nasal airway epithelial cells (AECs) in a basolateral to apical direction—mimicking the progression to the airway lumen. RSV is a leading cause
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Neutrophils and RSV: differences with age Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Zoe Rooke, Noreen Zainal Abidin, Caroline Harris, Malcolm Brodlie
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains the leading cause of bronchiolitis in infants and young children.1 RSV is highly transmissible, and in temperate climate zones, seasonal epidemics occur during autumn and winter months.2 Worldwide bronchiolitis places a substantial burden on healthcare resources.1 Each year, RSV is estimated to cause 30 million cases of lower respiratory tract infection in
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Extensive airway remodelling in severe COPD imparts resiliency to environmental stressors Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Moumita Ghosh, Eszter K Vladar
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent chronic lung disease that is expected to become the third most common cause of death globally by 2030.1 It is characterised by extensive, detrimental structural and functional changes termed ‘remodelling’ in the airway epithelium in response to noxious inhaled contaminants. Cigarette smoke is traditionally considered the chief culprit
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Testosterone and lung function: bigger lungs, slower decline or some combination of both? Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Stephen Milne
In healthy adults, 70%–80% of our vital capacity can be exhaled in a single second when measured by spirometry. This is made possible by the combination of a highly elastic lung, a low-resistance airway tree and recruitable respiratory muscles. Reduced spirometric values do not necessarily indicate disease, however, since forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and the ratio
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Improved childhood asthma control after exposure reduction interventions for desert dust and anthropogenic air pollution: the MEDEA randomised controlled trial Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Panayiotis Kouis, Emmanouil Galanakis, Eleni Michaelidou, Paraskevi Kinni, Antonis Michanikou, Constantinos Pitsios, Julietta Perez, Souzana Achilleos, Nicos Middleton, Pinelopi Anagnostopoulou, Helen Dimitriou, Efstathios Revvas, Gerasimos Stamatelatos, Haris Zacharatos, Chrysanthos Savvides, Emily Vasiliadou, Nikos Kalivitis, Andreas Chrysanthou, Filippos Tymvios, Stefania I Papatheodorou, Petros
Introduction Elevated particulate matter (PM) concentrations of anthropogenic and/or desert dust origin are associated with increased morbidity among children with asthma. Objective The Mitigating the Health Effects of Desert Dust Storms Using Exposure-Reduction Approaches randomised controlled trial assessed the impact of exposure reduction recommendations, including indoor air filtration, on childhood
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Female reproductive histories and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Chen Liang, Hsin-Fang Chung, Annette Dobson, Sven Sandin, Elisabete Weiderpass, Gita D Mishra
Background Female reproductive factors may influence the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through the female hormonal environment, but studies on this topic are limited. This study aimed to assess whether age at menarche, number of children, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth and age at natural menopause were associated with the risk of COPD. Methods Women from three cohorts
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Patient stratification using plasma cytokines and their regulators in sepsis: relationship to outcomes, treatment effect and leucocyte transcriptomic subphenotypes Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 David Benjamin Antcliffe, Yuxin Mi, Shalini Santhakumaran, Katie L Burnham, A Toby Prevost, Josie K Ward, Timothy J Marshall, Claire Bradley, Farah Al-Beidh, Paula Hutton, Stuart McKechnie, Emma E Davenport, Charles J Hinds, Cecilia M O'Kane, Daniel Francis McAuley, Manu Shankar-Hari, Anthony C Gordon, Julian C Knight
Rationale Heterogeneity of the host response within sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and more widely critical illness, limits discovery and targeting of immunomodulatory therapies. Clustering approaches using clinical and circulating biomarkers have defined hyper-inflammatory and hypo-inflammatory subphenotypes in ARDS associated with differential treatment response. It is unknown
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COPD basal cells are primed towards secretory to multiciliated cell imbalance driving increased resilience to environmental stressors Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Mircea Gabriel Stoleriu, Meshal Ansari, Maximilian Strunz, Andrea Schamberger, Motaharehsadat Heydarian, Yaobo Ding, Carola Voss, Juliane Josephine Schneider, Michael Gerckens, Gerald Burgstaller, Alejandra Castelblanco, Teresa Kauke, Jan Fertmann, Christian Schneider, Juergen Behr, Michael Lindner, Elvira Stacher-Priehse, Martin Irmler, Johannes Beckers, Oliver Eickelberg, Benjamin Schubert, Stefanie
Introduction Environmental pollutants injure the mucociliary elevator, thereby provoking disease progression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Epithelial resilience mechanisms to environmental nanoparticles in health and disease are poorly characterised. Methods We delineated the impact of prevalent pollutants such as carbon and zinc oxide nanoparticles, on cellular function and progeny
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Rheumatoid arthritis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a bidirectional Mendelian randomisation study Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Olivia C Leavy, Leticia Kawano-Dourado, Iain D Stewart, Jennifer K Quint, Joshua J Solomon, Raphael Borie, Bruno Crestani, Louise V Wain, Gisli Jenkins, Philippe Dieudé, Cosetta Minelli
Background A usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern of lung injury is a key feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and is also observed in up to 40% of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). The RA-UIP phenotype could result from either a causal relationship of RA on UIP or vice versa, or from a simple co-occurrence of RA and IPF due to
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Neutrophil responses to RSV infection show differences between infant and adult neutrophils Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Elisabeth Robinson, Shyam Sawhney, Mario Cortina-Borja, Anna L David, Claire M Smith, Rosalind L Smyth
Introduction Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a severe respiratory condition, bronchiolitis, in infants but not in adults. Bronchiolitis is characterised by neutrophilic infiltration in the airways, but whether neutrophils enhance recovery from infection or contribute to its pathology remains unknown. Methods We used a novel in-vitro model to compare term umbilical cord blood (infant) (n=17
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Impact of ambient air pollution on lung function in preterm-born school-aged children Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 William John Watkins, Christopher William Course, Michael Cousins, Kylie Hart, Sarah J Kotecha, Sailesh Kotecha
Rationale Increased outdoor air pollution worsens lung function in children. However, these associations are less well studied in preterm-born individuals. Objectives We assessed associations between ambient air pollutants and spirometry measures in preterm-born children. Methods The Respiratory Health Outcomes in Neonates study recruited preterm-born children aged 7–12 years who were born at ≤34 week's
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Effects of testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin on lung function in males and females: a multivariable Mendelian Randomisation study Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Diana A van der Plaat, Alexandra Lenoir, Shyamali Dharmage, James Potts, Francisco Gómez Real, Seif O Shaheen, Debbie Jarvis, Cosetta Minelli, Bénédicte Leynaert
Background Observational studies suggest that total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) may have beneficial effects on lung function, but these findings might be spurious due to confounding and reverse causation. We addressed these limitations by using multivariable Mendelian randomisation (MVMR) to investigate the independent causal effects of TT and SHBG on lung function. Methods
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Clinical implications of airway obstruction with normal or low FEV1 in childhood and adolescence Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Hans Jacob Lohne Koefoed, Gang Wang, Ulrike Gehring, Sandra Ekstrom, Inger Kull, Roel Vermeulen, Jolanda M A Boer, Anna Bergstrom, Gerard H Koppelman, Erik Melén, Judith M Vonk, Jenny Hallberg
Background Airway obstruction is defined by spirometry as a low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio. This impaired ratio may originate from a low FEV1 (classic) or a normal FEV1 in combination with a large FVC (dysanaptic). The clinical implications of dysanaptic obstruction during childhood and adolescence in the general population remain unclear. Aims To investigate
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Invasive versus non-invasive paediatric home mechanical ventilation: review of the international evolution over the past 24 years Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Michel Toussaint, Olivier van Hove, Dimitri Leduc, Lise Ansay, Nicolas Deconinck, Brigitte Fauroux, Sonia Khirani
Background Home mechanical ventilation (HMV) is the treatment for chronic hypercapnic alveolar hypoventilation. The proportion and evolution of paediatric invasive (IMV) and non-invasive (NIV) HMV across the world is unknown, as well as the disorders and age of children using HMV. Methods Search of Medline/PubMed for publications of paediatric surveys on HMV from 2000 to 2023. Results Data from 32
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Pulmonary artery-pulmonary artery collaterals in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Sugang Gong, Huiting Li, Lan Wang
A 66-year-old woman was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), with selective angiography revealing direct collaterals between the A9 and A10 pulmonary artery branches (figure 1A, figure 2 and figure 3A; online supplemental Video 1 and online supplemental Video 2). Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) of A9 revealed pronounced stenosis and lumen irregularities. Peripheral
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Journal club Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 Neda Akhtar Hasan
IPF is a progressive fibrotic lung disease with a median survival of 3–5 years post-diagnosis. Fifty cases are diagnosed per 100 000 people in the UK. The incidence has been rising over the last two decades, with no cure at present. Furthermore, considerable heterogeneity exists within the disease course, making management and prognostication challenging. Kraven et al (DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021–218563)
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Correction: British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting 2023 Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
Abstract withdrawn as it was not presented at the Meeting S45 - Forced Oscillometry Technique in Children with Preschool Wheeze: Feasibility and Relationship to Clinical Parameters P89 - The burden and impact of NTM-LD and perspectives on care, UK data from a European patient survey (ENPADE) P97 - CPET’s utility in understanding unexplained exertional dyspnoea in military personnel. Amendments to author
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Correction: Impact of respiratory muscle training on respiratory muscle strength, respiratory function and quality of life in individuals with tetraplegia: a randomised clinical trial Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-06-01 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
Boswell-Ruys CL, Lewis CRH, Wijeysuriya NS, et al . Impact of respiratory muscle training on respiratory muscle strength, respiratory function and quality of life in individuals with tetraplegia: a randomised clinical trial. Thorax 2020;75:279-288. The authors …
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Availability, cost and affordability of essential medicines for chronic respiratory diseases in low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-17 Marie Stolbrink, Obianuju B Ozoh, David M G Halpin, Rebecca Nightingale, Jamilah Meghji, Catherine Plum, Brian William Allwood, Shamanthi Jayasooriya, Kevin Mortimer
Contemporary data on the availability, cost and affordability of essential medicines for chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are missing, despite most people with CRDs living in LMICs. Cross-sectional data for seven CRD medicines in pharmacies, healthcare facilities and central medicine stores were collected from 60 LMICs in 2022–2023. Medicines
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Lifetime lung function trajectories: insights into risk factors, consequences and implications Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-17 Dinh S Bui, Nur S Idrose, Shyamali C Dharmage
Maintaining optimal lung function throughout life is important not only for respiratory health but also for overall health and longevity. With emerging evidence on the clinical significance of lung function at multiple windows throughout life, there has been an increasing number of studies on lung function trajectories1 including by Zhang et al in this issue.2 The term ‘lung function trajectory’ refers
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Strengthening the evidence base to support stronger regulation of social media based advertising of e-cigarette products to youth Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Kim L Lavoie
Despite the early promise of e-cigarettes as a potential smoking cessation tool, the actual uptake of these products has been the source of much controversy. There have been growing concerns about the exponential rise in the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products among youth and adolescents, with the proportion of those aged 11–15, 16–17 and 18 years in Great Britain using e-cigarettes more than doubling
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Association of time spent on social media with youth cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use in the UK: a national longitudinal study Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Nicholas S Hopkinson, Charlotte Vrinten, Jennie C Parnham, Márta K Radó, Filippos Filippidis, Eszter P Vamos, Anthony A Laverty
Background Social media may influence children and young people’s health behaviour, including cigarette and e-cigarette use. Methods We analysed data from participants aged 10–25 years in the UK Household Longitudinal Study 2015–2021. The amount of social media use reported on a normal weekday was related to current cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use. Generalised estimating equation (GEE) logistic
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Repositioning compounds for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment: seeking the future in the past Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Bruno Crestani
Extract Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal interstitial lung disease with only two approved treatments, pirfenidone and nintedanib, which have been shown to slow lung function decline and may improve survival by 2 years [1, 2].
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T-cells and precision medicine for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Richard B. Moss
Extract The pathogenesis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) remains poorly understood, despite its widely accepted recognition as a distinct endotype of severe asthmatic disease [1].
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Reply to: The puzzles surrounding the impact of face masks on 6-minute walking distance in pulmonary hypertension Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Max Wissmüller, Veit Wartner, Christopher Hohmann, Joana Adler, Tilmann Kramer, Martin Hellmich, Felix Gerhardt, Stephan Baldus, Stephan Rosenkranz
Extract We thank J-L. Ma and co-workers for their interest in our study entitled "Impact of face masks on the 6-minute walk distance in pulmonary hypertension patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective, randomised cross-over study", which was recently published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. This study was conducted in 122 patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and suggested
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Th2-skewed peripheral T-helper cells drive B-cells in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Rong-Guang Luo, Yi-Fan Wu, Hai-Wen Lu, Dong Weng, Jia-Yan Xu, Le-Le Wang, Li-Sha Zhang, Cai-Qi Zhao, Jian-Xiong Li, Yong Yu, Xin-Ming Jia, Jin-Fu Xu
Introduction Patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) suffer from repeated exacerbations. The involvement of T-cell subsets remains unclear. Methods We enrolled ABPA patients, asthma patients and healthy controls. T-helper type 1 (Th1), 2 (Th2) and 17 (Th17) cells, regulatory T-cells (Treg) and interleukin (IL)-21+CD4+T-cells in total or sorted subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear
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The puzzles surrounding the impact of face masks on 6-minute walking distance in pulmonary hypertension Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Jie-Ling Ma, An-Yi Wang, Dan Lu, Chun-Yan Cheng, Zhi-Cheng Jing
Extract We read with great interest the research letter by Wissmüller et al. [1], which was recently published in the European Respiratory Journal. The authors conducted a prospective, randomised cross-over study to evaluate the impact of face masks on 6-min walking distance (6MWD) in 122 pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that wearing face masks could lead
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Repositioning of ezetimibe for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-16 Chanho Lee, Se Hyun Kwak, Jisu Han, Ju Hye Shin, Byunghun Yoo, Yu Seol Lee, Jeong Su Park, Beom Jin Lim, Jin Gu Lee, Young Sam Kim, Song Yee Kim, Soo Han Bae
Extract Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and lethal interstitial lung disease characterised by excessive extracellular matrix deposition and structural distortion with fibrosis [1, 2].
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Actinomycosis mimicking metastatic lung malignancy Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-13 Daniel Sims, Anthony Kerry, Kim Billingham
A 66-year-old Nepalese man with a medical history of hypertension presented with a 4-month history of an intermittently productive cough, worsening breathlessness, unintentional weight loss and a progressively enlarging lump on the right anterior chest wall that had become red and warm in the days prior to admission. On examination, he was cachectic, febrile and tachycardic, but the chest was clear
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Definition of diaphragmatic sleep disordered breathing and clinical meaning in Duchenne muscular dystrophy Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-09 Federica Trucco, Matthew Davies, Alberto Andrea Zambon, Deborah Ridout, Francois Abel, Francesco Muntoni
Background Diaphragmatic sleep disordered breathing (dSDB) has been recently identified as sleep dysfunction secondary to diaphragmatic weakness in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, scoring criteria for the identification of dSDB are missing. This study aimed to define and validate dSDB scoring criteria and to evaluate whether dSDB severity correlates with respiratory progression in DMD.
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From gut to lung and back again: early life microbiota in cystic fibrosis Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-09 Lindsay J. Caverly, Benjamin D. Ross, Robert P. Dickson
Extract The connection between gastrointestinal and respiratory pathology in cystic fibrosis (CF) was first observed in 1938 in Dorothy Andersen's initial description of CF [1]. Andersen reported on the autopsy findings of 49 infants and young children with CF, which notably included near-universal evidence of pancreatic fibrosis, nutritional deficiencies and chronic respiratory infections. In the
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The concept of Sfrp1+ transitional fibroblasts: the key to dissociating lineage heterogeneity and fate of invasive fibroblasts in pulmonary fibrosis? Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-09 Xue Liu, Xuexi Zhang, Jiurong Liang, Paul W. Noble, Dianhua Jiang
Extract One of the significant advances in the biology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been the recognition of fibroblast heterogeneity in the lung. Fibroblast heterogeneity can be interpreted as fibroblast subtypes, probably derived from distinct mesenchymal lineages, as well as various activation states, such as proliferation, matrix production and invasiveness. With great interest, we
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The longitudinal microbial and metabolic landscape of infant cystic fibrosis: the gut–lung axis Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-09 Katherine B. Frayman, Matthew Macowan, Jose Caparros-Martin, Sarath C. Ranganathan, Benjamin J. Marsland
Background and aim In cystic fibrosis, gastrointestinal dysfunction and lower airway infection occur early and are independently associated with poorer outcomes in childhood. This study aimed to define the relationship between the microbiota at each niche during the first 2 years of life, its association with growth and airway inflammation, and explanatory features in the metabolome. Materials and
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Impact of age at ivacaftor initiation on pulmonary outcomes among people with cystic fibrosis Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-06 Christian A Merlo, Lisa J McGarry, Teja Thorat, Catherine Nguyen, Maral DerSarkissian, Aruna Muthukumar, Joe Healy, M Alan Brookhart, Jaime L Rubin
Background Ivacaftor (IVA) improves lung function and other extrapulmonary outcomes in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the effect of initiating IVA at earlier versus later ages has not been studied. Methods We conducted an observational cohort study of people in the US CF Foundation Patient Registry aged ≥6 years with ≥1 CF transmembrane conductance regulator–gating mutation to compare the
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Behind the Scenes: Facilitators and Barriers to Developing State Scarce Resource Allocation Plans for the COVID-19 Pandemic Chest (IF 9.6) Pub Date : 2024-05-06 Kirsten A. Riggan MA MS, Nicholas V. Nguyen BA, Jackson S. Ennis BA, Debra A. DeBruin PhD, Richard R. Sharp PhD, Jon C. Tilburt MD, Susan M. Wolf JD, Erin S. DeMartino MD
In response to COVID-19, many states revised, developed, or attempted to develop plans to allocate scarce critical care resources in the event that crisis standards of care were triggered. No prior analysis has assessed this plan development process, including whether plans were successfully adopted. How did states develop or revise scarce resource allocation plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and
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Plasminogen Degradation by Neutrophil Elastase in Pleural Infection, Not High Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1, Is the Cause of Intrapleural Lytic Failure Chest (IF 9.6) Pub Date : 2024-05-06 Christopher D. Barrett MD, Peter K. Moore MD, Ernest E. Moore MD, Hunter B. Moore MD PhD, James G. Chandler BS, Halima Siddiqui PhD, Elizabeth R. Maginot MD, Angela Sauaia MD PhD, Angel Augusto Pérez-Calatayud MD, Keely Buesing MD, Jiashan Wang MD, Cesar Davila-Chapa MD, Daniel Hershberger MD, Ivor Douglas MBBCh, Fredric M. Pieracci MD, Michael B. Yaffe MD PhD
Complex pleural space infections often require treatment with multiple doses of intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and deoxyribonuclease, with treatment failure frequently necessitating surgery. Pleural infections are rich in neutrophils, and neutrophil elastase degrades plasminogen, the target substrate of tPA, that is required to generate fibrinolysis. We hypothesized that pleural fluid
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Epigenome-wide association study of lung cancer among never smokers in two prospective cohorts in Shanghai, China Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-03 Mohammad L Rahman, Charles E Breeze, Xiao-Ou Shu, Jason Y Y Wong, Batel Blechter, Andres Cardenas, Xuting Wang, Bu-Tian Ji, Wei Hu, Qiuyin Cai, H Dean Hosgood, Gong Yang, Jianxin Shi, Jirong Long, Yu-Tang Gao, Douglas A Bell, Wei Zheng, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan
Background The aetiology of lung cancer among individuals who never smoked remains elusive, despite 15% of lung cancer cases in men and 53% in women worldwide being unrelated to smoking. Epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation (DNAm) changes, have emerged as potential drivers. Yet, few prospective epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), primarily focusing on peripheral blood DNAm with
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Epigenetic clock as the new hand of time for lung cancer in never smokers Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-03 David C Christiani
Estimates of lung cancer among persons who never smoked are 10%–20% in the USA, translating into 20–40 000 cases annually. Globally, and especially in East Asia, the incidence of lung cancer among non-tobacco users is considerably higher than in the USA, especially in women.1 The causes of lung cancer in lifelong never-smokers are not well understood. Possibilities include exposure to other carcinogens
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Lung function trajectories from school age to adulthood and their relationship with markers of cardiovascular disease risk Thorax (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-05-02 Raquel Granell, Sadia Haider, Matea Deliu, Anhar Ullah, Osama Mahmoud, Sara Fontanella, Lesley Lowe, Angela Simpson, James William Dodd, Seyed Hasan Arshad, Clare S Murray, Graham Roberts, Alun Hughes, Chloe Park, John W Holloway, Adnan Custovic
Rationale Lung function in early adulthood is associated with subsequent adverse health outcomes. Objectives To ascertain whether stable and reproducible lung function trajectories can be derived in different populations and investigate their association with objective measures of cardiovascular structure and function. Methods Using latent profile modelling, we studied three population-based birth
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Ethnicity corrections in pulmonary function test reports: what to do? Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-02 Mike Hughes
Extract The 2023 American Thoracic Society (ATS) document on race and ethnicity in pulmonary function test interpretation advocating "race-neutral prediction equations" [1], and the subsequent editorial on the same subject, in a recent issue of the European Respiratory Journal [2], are timely, in spite of some disagreement. For many years, pulmonary function laboratories have (alternatively, they may
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Cannabis smoking is associated with advanced epigenetic age Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-02 Ana I. Hernandez Cordero, Xuan Li, Chen Xi Yang, Amirtha Ambalavanan, Julie L. MacIsaac, Michael S. Kobor, Dany Doiron, Wan Tan, Jean Bourbeau, Don D. Sin, Qingling Duan, Janice M. Leung
Extract Cannabis use has been controversial, largely having been designated a controlled substance over the past century. While certain studies have linked cannabis smoking with harmful effects such as increased respiratory symptoms and faster lung function decline in older adults [1, 2], these findings have not been fully replicated by others [3]. The link between cannabis and disease pathogenesis
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Bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid in multidrug-resistant and pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in refugees from Ukraine and Somalia in Germany Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-02 Janina Trauth, Vera Kantelhardt, Bohdan Usenko, Michael Knipper, Martin Kuhns, Inna Friesen, Susanne Herold
Extract According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 tuberculosis (TB) report, in the European Union region there are approximately 200 000 TB cases per year, among which 30 000 are rifampicin resistant (RR) with treatment success rates of 57% [1], indicating a considerable gap from the United Nations' goal of an 80% reduction by 2030. In 2022, the WHO guideline for the treatment of multidrug-resistant
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Correcting and harmonising the terminology for exhaled gases Eur. Respir. J. (IF 24.3) Pub Date : 2024-05-02 Marieann Högman, Peter D. Wagner
Extract Frequently, the abbreviations and methods used for measuring and reporting respired gases do not follow the standardisation, definitions and symbols that experts in the field have agreed on. This has become apparent for exhaled nitric oxide, where expired gas is commonly and incorrectly denoted by "e" rather than by "E", much like "i" instead of "I" for inspired [1]. Why is standardisation